ALL COMPUTER NEWS: CCPU GLOSARRY

* 3G - Third Generation
* 3GPP, 3GPP2 - Third Generation Partnership Project, Project 2
* AAA - Authentication, Authorization and Accounting
* AAL - ATM Adaptation Layer
* ACD - Automatic Call Distribution
* ACTS - Automated Coin Toll Service
* ADPCM - Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
* AG - Access Gateway
* AH - Authentication Header
* AIN - Advanced Intelligent Network
* AIS - Alarm Indication Signaling
* AIX - Advanced Interactive Executive
* ALCAP - Access Link Control Application Protocol
* AMR - Adaptive Multi-Rate
* ANDSF - Access Network Discovery and Selection Function
* ANSI - American National Standards Institute
* AP - Application Part
* API - Application Programming Interface
* APP - Application Marker
* APS - Automatic Protection Switching
* ARP - Address Resolution Protocol
* AS - Application Server
* ASN-1 - Abstract Syntax Notation One Encoder / Decoder
* ASP - Application Service Provider
* ASR - Audio Response System
* ATCA - Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture
* ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode
* ATMARP - Asynchronous Transfer Mode Address Resolution Protocol
* AuC - Authentication Center
* B-ISUP - Broadband ISDN User Part
* B2BUA - Back-to-Back User Agent
* BDP - Business Decision Point
* BGCF - Breakout Gateway Control Function
* BICC - Bearer Independent Call Control
* BM-SC - Broadcast / Multicast Service Center
* BMC - Broadcast Multicast Control
* BOOTP - Bootstrap Protocol
* BRAS/MSS - Broadband Remote Access Switch / Multi Service Switch
* BS - Base Station
* BSC - Base Station Controller
* BSS - Base Station System
* BSSAP - Base Station System Application Part
* BSSGP - Base Station Subsystem GPRS Protocol
* BTS - Base Transceiver System
* BTSM - BTS Management
* CALA - Caribbean and Latin America
* CAMEL - Customized Applications for Mobile Networks Enhanced Logic
* CAN - Connectivity Access Network
* CAP - CAMEL Application Part
* CAPEX - Capital Expenditure
* CBC - Cell Broadcast Center
* CBN - Common Bonding Network
* CC - Call Control, Connection Confirm
* CCF - Charging Control Function
* CCPU - Continuous Computing
* CD-ROM - Compact Disc Read-Only Memory
* CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access
* CDVT - Cell Delay Variation Tolerance
* CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
* CGF - Charging Gateway Function
* CGW - Charging Gateway
* CID - Channel Identifier
* CISPR - Comite International Spécial des Peturbations Radioélectriques (or International Special Committee on Radio Interference)
* CLEI - Common Language Equipment Identifier
* CLI - Command Line Interface
* CLIP - Classical IP
* CM - Connection Manager
* CN - Core Network
* COPS - Common Open Policy Service
* COPS-PR - COPS Policy Provisioning
* CORBA - Common Object Request Broker Architecture
* COTS - Commercial Off-The-Shelf
* CP-TA - Communications Platforms Trade Association
* CPU - Central Processing Unit
* CRF - Charging Rules Function
* CS - Circuit Switched
* CS2K - Communication Server 2000
* CSA - Canadian Standards Association
* CSCF - Call Session Control Function
* CSE - CAMEL Service Environment
* CSU - Computer Switching Unit
* CSV - Comma Separated Values
* DAT - Digital Audio Tape
* DES - Diagnostic Error Signaling
* DFT/HA - Distributed Fault-Tolerant / High Availability
* DFT - Distributed Fault-Tolerant
* DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
* Diameter - Signaling protocol for AAA functions in IMS networks
* DiffServ - Differentiated Services
* DL - Data Link, Down Link
* DLT - Digital Linear Tape
* DNS - Domain Name System
* DPI - Deep Packet Inspection
* DPM - Downtime Performance Measurement
* DS-0 - Digital Signal Zero (64Kbps)
* DS-1 - Digital Signal One (1.544Mbps)
* DS-3 - Digital Signal Three (44.7Mbps)
* DS - Differentiated Services
* DSCP - Dynamic Subnet Configuration Protocol
* DSL - Digital Subscriber Line
* DSLAM - Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
* DSMIP - Dual Stack Mobile IP
* DSP - Digital Signal Processing
* DSU - Digital Switching Unit
* DTMF - Dual Tone Multi-Frequency
* DVD - Digital Video Disk
* DVMRP - Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol
* E1 - European Format Digital Signal Level 1
* EADPCM - Embedded Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
* EAP - Extensible Authentication Protocol
* eBM-SC - Enhanced Broadcast / Multicast Service Center
* eBS - Evolved Base Station
* ECF - Event Charging Function
* ECMP - Equal Cost Multi-Path
* EIA - Electronic Industries Association
* EIR - Equipment Identification Register
* EM - Element Manager
* EMC - Electromagnetic Compatibility
* EMS - Element Management System
* EN - European Norm
* eNb - E-UTRAN NodeB
* ENUM - Telephone Number Mapping
* EPC - Evolved Packet Core
* EPS - Evolved Packet System
* ePDG - Enhanced Packet Data Gateway
* ESI - End System Identifier
* ESP - Encapsulating Security Payload
* ETS - European Telecommunication Standard
* ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute
* E-UTRAN - Evolved UTRAN
* F1 - F1 Class of OAM
* F3 - Virtual Path OAM
* F5 OAM - Virtual Circuit OAM
* FA - Foreign Agent
* FAP - Femto Access Point
* FCC - Federal Communications Commission
* FGW - Femto Gateway
* FITs - Failures per Billion Hours of Operation
* FMECA - Fault Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis
* FP - Framing Protocol
* FR - Frame Relay
* FRU - Field Replaceable Unit
* FT/HA - Fault-Tolerant / High Availability
* FTP - File Transfer Protocol
* FTTx - Fiber to the curb / home / premises
* GAN - Generic Access Network
* GANC - Generic Access Network Controller
* GbE - Gigabit Ethernet
* GERAN - GSM Edge Radio Access Network
* GGSN - Gateway GPRS Support Node
* GK - Gatekeeper
* GMLC - Gateway Mobile Location Center
* GMM/SM - GPRS Mobility Management and Session Management
* GMSC - Gateway MSC
* GPRS - General Packet Radio System



* GPS - Global Positioning System
* GRE - Generic Routing Encapsulation
* GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications
* GSN - GPRS Support Node
* GSP - Global Service Provider
* GTP - GPRS Tunneling Protocol
* GTT - Global Title Translation
* GUI - Graphical User Interface
* GW - Gateway
* H.248 - MEGACO, Media Gateway Control Protocol
* H.323 - Umbrella protocol for H.255.0, H.245, H.450
* HA - High Availability
* H-AAA - Home AAA
* HDLC - High-level Data Link Control
* HDTV - High Definition Television
* HLR - Home Location Register
* HNB - Home NodeB
* HSS - Home Subscriber Server
* I-CSCF - Interrogating Call Session Control Function
* i-SCSI - Internet Small Computer Systems Interface
* I/F - Interface
* I/O - Input / Output
* IA - Intel Architecture
* IAD - Integrated Access Device
* IBN - Isolated Bonding Network
* ICMP - Internet Control Message Protocol
* IEC - Inter Exchange Carrier
* IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
* IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force
* IGMP - Internet Group Management Protocol
* IKE - Internet Key Exchange
* ILMI - Integrated Local Management Interface
* IM - Instant Messaging
* IM-SSF - IP Multimedia - Service Switching Function
* IME - Interface Management Entity
* IMS - IP Multimedia Subsystem
* IMS-MGW - IP Multimedia Subsystem Media Gateway Function
* IN - Intelligent Network
* INAP - Intelligent Network Application Protocol
* InATMARP - Inverse ATMARP
* IOS - Inter-Operability Specifications
* IP - Internet Protocol
* IP PBX - Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange
* IP-SP - IP-Signaling Point
* IPBCP - IP Bearer Control Protocol
* IPoA - IP over ATM
* IPsec - IP Security
* IPT - Integrated Project Team
* IPTV - IP Television
* IRIG-B - Inter Range Instrumentation Group mod B
* ISC - IMS Service Control
* ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
* ISG - Intelligent Services Gateway
* ISO/IEC - International Organization of Standardization / International - Electrotechnical Commission
* ISUP - ISDN User Part
* ITU-T - International Telecommunications Union Telecom sector
* IUA - ISDN Q.921 User Adaptation Layer
* IVR - Interactive Voice Response
* IWGW - Interworking Gateway
* IWMSC - Interworking MSC
* JFS - Journaling File System
* JTAG - Joint Test Action Group
* KVM - Keyboard Video Mouse
* L1 - Layer 1 in OSI Model (Physical Layer)
* L2 - Layer 2 in OSI Model (Data Link layer)
* L2F - Layer 2 Forwarding
* L2TP - Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
* LAN - Local Area Network
* LAPB - Link Access Procedure Balanced
* LAPC - Link Access Procedure for Control Plane
* LAPD - Link Access Protocol on D channel
* LAPDm - LAPD Mobility
* LAPV5 DL - Link Access Protocol V5 Data Link
* LAPV5 EF - Link Access Protocol V5 Envelope Function
* LB - Load Balancing
* LBS - Location-Based Services
* LCS - Location Services
* LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
* LDF - Load Distribution Function
* LE - Local Exchange
* LL - Local Loop
* LLC - Logical Link Control
* LMA - Local Mobility Anchor
* LMI - Local Management Interface
* LMU - Location Management Unit
* LNP - Local Number Portability
* LOC - Location Center
* LSR - Label Switch Router
* LTE - Long-Term Evolution
* M2PA - MTP2 Peer-to-Peer Adaptation Layer
* M2UA - MTP2 User Adaptation Layer
* M3UA - MTP3 User Adaptation Layer
* MAC - Media Access Control
* MAG - Mobile Access Gateway
* MAP - Mobile Application Part
* MBMS - Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service
* MBS - Maximum Burst Size
* MCE - Multi-cell / multicast Coordination Entity
* MCU - Multipoint Conference Unit
* MD 5 - Message-Digest Algorithm
* MD - Manufacture Discontinue
* MDM - Media Device Manager
* MEGACO - Media Gateway Control Protocol (H.248)
* Mesh-BN - Meshed Bonding Network
* MFC - Most Favored Customer
* MFRP - Multimedia Function Resource Processor
* MG - Media Gateway
* MGC - Media Gateway Controller
* MGCF - Media Gateway Control Function
* MGCP - Media Gateway Control Protocol
* MGW - Media Gateway
* MIB - Management Information Base
* MIMO - Multiple Input, Multiple Output
* MIP - Mobile IP
* MIPS - Million Instructions Per Second
* MM - Mobility Management
* MME - Mobile Management Entity
* MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service
* MNP/LNP - Mobile / Local Number Portability
* MPLS - Multi-Protocol Label Switching
* MPoA - Multi-Protocol over ATM
* MRFC - Multimedia Resource Function Controller
* MRFP - Multimedia Resource Function Processor
* MSC - Mobile Switching Center
* MSCF - Messaging Service Control Function
* MTP - Message Transfer Part
* NA - North American
* NAPT - Network Address Port Translation
* NAS - Network Attached Storage, Not Access Stratum
* NAT - Network Address Translation
* NBAP - Node B Application Part
* NEBS - Network Equipment Building System
* NEDS - Network Equipment Development Standard
* NFS - Network File System
* NGN - Next Generation Network
* NIC - Network Interface Card
* NNI - Network-Network Interface
* NRE - Non-recoverable Engineering
* NS - Network Services
* NSRP - Network Service-Ready Platform
* NTP - Network Time Protocol
* OAM - Operations, Administration & Maintenance
* OC-3 - Optical Carrier Level 3 (155.5Mbps)
* OC-12 - Optical Carrier Level 12 (622.1Mbps)
* OC-48 - Optical Carrier Level 48 (2.488Gbps)
* OC-192 - Optical Carrier Level 192 (9.953Gbps)
* OC-768 - Optical Carrier Level 768 (39.81Gbps)
* OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
* OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
* OFDMA - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access
* OFM - Outage Frequency Measurement
* OM - Operational Measurement
* OPEX - Operating Expense
* OSA - Open Service Access
* OSA-GW - Open Service Access - Gateway
* OSA-SCS - Open Services Architecture Service Capability Server
* OSI - Open Systems Interconnection
* OSP - Open Settlement Protocol
* OSPF - Open Shortest Path First



* OSS - Operations Support System
* OXC - Optical Cross Connect
* P-CSCF - Proxy Call Session Control Function
* P-MSC - Packet Mobile Switching Center
* PBX - Private Branch Exchange
* PCAP - Positioning Calculation Application Part
* PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
* PCR - Peak Cell Rate
* PDCP - Packet Data Control Protocol
* PDF - Policy Decision Function
* PDG - Packet Data Gateway
* PDSN - Packet Data Support Node
* PEC - Product Engineering Code
* PG-MSC - Packet Gateway Mobile Switching Center
* PGW - Packet Gateway
* PHP - PHP Hypertext Preprocessor embedded scripting language
* PHY - Physical Layer
* PI - Product Integrity
* PICMG - PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group
* PKM - Privacy Key Management
* PLOA - Protocol Layers Over ATM
* PMC - PCI Mezzanine Card
* PMIP - Proxy Mobile IP
* POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service
* PPC - PowerPC
* PPP - Point-to-Point Protocol
* PPTP - Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
* PRI - Primary Rate Interface
* PSF - Protocol-Specific Function
* PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network
* PTM - Packet Telephony Manager
* PTT - Push-to-Talk
* PVC - Permanent Virtual Circuit
* PVG - Packet Voice Gateway
* QoE - Quality of Experience
* QoS - Quality of Service
* RFP - Request for Proposal
* RFQ - Request for Quote
* RIP - Routing Information Protocol
* RLC - Radio Link Control
* RLC/MAC - GPRS Radio Link Control / Medium Access Control
* RNC - Radio Network Controller
* RNSAP - Radio Network Subsystem Application Part
* ROI - Return on Investment
* RR - Radio Resource
* RRC - Radio Resource Control
* RTCP - Real-time Control Protocol
* RTP - Real-time Transport Protocol
* RTPC - Signaling Route Management Transfer Prohibited Control
* S-CSCF - Serving Call Session Control Function
* SABP - Service Area Broadcast Protocol
* SAE - System Architecture Evolution
* SAF - Service Availability Forum
* SAN - Storage Area Network
* SBC - Session Border Controller, Single Board Computer
* SCCP - Signaling Connection Control Part
* SCF - Switching Control Function
* SCIM - Service Capability Interaction Manager
* SCP - Service Control Point
* SCR - Sustained Cell Rate
* SCS - Service Capability Server
* SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
* SCTP - Stream Control Transmission Protocol
* SDH - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
* SDHLR - Super Distributed Home Location Register
* SDK - Software Development Kit
* SDP - Session Description Protocol
* SEG - Security Gateway
* SFP - Small Form-factor Pluggable
* SG - Signaling Gateway
* SGF - Set Graphic Rendition
* SGSN - Serving GPRS Support Node
* SHA-1 - Secure Hash Algorithm-1
* SIGTRAN - Signaling Transport
* SIP - Session Initiation Protocol
* SLF - Subscription Locator Function
* SM - Session Management
* SMLC - Serving Mobile Location Center
* SMP - Symmetrical Multi-Processing
* SMS - Short Messaging Service
* SMSC - Short Message Service Center
* SNA - Storage Network Architecture
* SNC - Synchronous Network Clock
* SNDCP - SubNetwork-Dependent Convergence Protocol
* SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol
* SNTP - Simple Network Time Protocol
* SONET - Synchronous Optical Network
* SPARC - Scalable Processor Architecture
* SPG - Signaling Processor Gateway
* SRF - Specialized Resource Function
* SRNC (UMB) - Session Reference Network Controller
* SRNC (WCDMA) - Serving RNC
* SRTP - Secure Real-Time Protocol
* SS - Supplementary Services
* SS7 - Signaling System 7
* SSC1 - Seismic Server Cabinet 1
* SSCF - Service Specific Coordination Function
* SSCOP - Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol
* SSCS - Service Specific Convergence Sublayer
* SSF - Service Switching Function
* SSH - Secure Shell
* SSP - Signaling Service Point
* SSS - Signaling Software Subsystem
* STC - Signaling Transport Converter
* STM - Synchronous Transfer Mode
* STP - Signaling Transfer Point
* SUA - SCCP User Adaptation Layer
* SVC - Switched Virtual Circuit
* T1 - Digital Carrier Facility for Digital Signal Level 1
* TAPA - Trillium Advanced Portability Architecture
* TAS - Telephony Application Server
* TC - Transmission Convergence Sublayer
* TCAP - Transaction Capability Application Part
* TCP - Transmission Control Protocol
* TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
* TCO - Total Cost of Ownership
* TDM - Time Division Multiplexing
* TEM - Telecom Equipment Manufacturer
* TFTP - Trivial File Transfer Protocol
* THIG - Topology Hiding Internetwork Gateway
* TNL - Transport Network Layer
* TLS - Transport Layer Security
* TRX - Transcoder
* TTS - Text-To-Speech
* TUCL - TCP / UDP Convergence Layer
* TUP - Telephony User Part
* UAS - Universal Audio Server
* UBR - Unspecified Bit Rate
* UDP - User Datagram Protocol
* UE - User Equipment
* UL - Underwriters Laboratory
* UMA - Unlicensed Mobile Access
* UMB - Ultra Mobile Broadband
* UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
* UNC - Universal Naming Convention
* UNI - User-Network Interface
* UP - User Plane
* USP - Universal Signaling Point
* UTRAN - UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network
* UUI - User-to-User Indicator
* V5.2 - V5.2 Interface Signaling
* V5UA - V5.2-User Adaptation Layer
* V-AAA - Visitor AAA
* VBR - Variable Bit Rate
* VC - Virtual Connection
* VCC - Virtual Channel Connection
* VCCI - Voluntary Control Council for Interference
* VCI - Virtual Channel Identifier
* VCL - Virtual Channel Links
* VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network
* VLR - Visiting Location Register
* VNS - Voice Navigation System
* VO - Validation Office
* VoATM - Voice over ATM
* VoD - Video on Demand
* VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol
* VP - Virtual Path
* VPI - Virtual Path Identifier
* VPL - Virtual Path Links
* VPN - Virtual Private Network
* VRRP - Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
* VrTx - Virtual Real-Time Executive real-time operating system
* VXML - Voice Extensible Markup Language
* WAG - Wireless Access Gateway
* WCDMA - Wideband CDMA
* WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
* WRR - Weighted Round Robin
* WSF - Wireless Service Framework
* X.25 - Packet switched data network protocol
* XFS - X Font Server

ALL COMPUTER NEWS: SAS Tixis Technologies Helps Customers Optimize IT Costs

Tixis Technologies is an IT services company in the Arcelor group, a world leader in the steel industry; Tixis Technologies manages IT infrastructures and operates professional applications for more than 200 corporate customers. The company chose SAS solutions to help its customers determine the critical factors that will optimize Arcelor's IT costs.

Arcelor – a global leader in the steel industry with €26.6 billion (US$32.6 billion) in annual sales for 2002 – grew out of the merger of three European groups (Usinor, Arbed and Aceralia). Tixis Technologies was created in 2000 during the restructuring of the Usinor group, which, at the time, comprised separate units for core business activities and shared services (e.g., information technology, purchasing, administration, payroll, cash balances, accounting, etc.). Today, Tixis Technologies provides a range of solutions and services that allows its customers to strengthen competitive advantage by taking full advantage of available technologies.

Creating a process model
With a mission to provide an infrastructure that meets each customer's needs while supporting the Arcelor group's strategy of optimizing costs, Tixis Technologies has to be competitive.

From the beginning, the company decided to develop a new process model for billing its services, based on contracts signed with each of its customers.

With SAS IT Management Solutions, Tixis Technologies can:

* Input the services catalog and prices, including the determination of pricing rules.
* Establish specific pricing terms.
* Organize customer files intoa hierarchy.
* Reproduce data, such as issuing accounting invoices and reproducing billing details and content on the intranet for all customers.

"The objective beyond billing was to establish our offerings and pricing in a way that aligns with our mission," says Dominique Pineau, director of Commercial and Marketing at Tixis Technologies. "We began by benchmarking our offerings and describing them in a catalog of services that would help customers have better control over their costs. For example, since a workstation with Internet access is more expensive, it is assigned only to people who really need it. The description of the 'Workstation' offering and the corresponding price therefore broke out Internet access and, more generally, a whole set of additional services used by a more targeted population."

Better control over IT costs
Tixis Technologies decided to implement the SAS IT Management Solutions to handle its billing, a process that is based on targeted objectives and one that is becoming increasingly complex. The company uses this system not just to charge back costs, but also to control and take action on costs. After a year of collaboration with SAS, Tixis Technologies has a greater understanding of the model, its strengths and how to use it. "The SAS solution made it possible for us – and our customers – to better exploit changes in our offerings and pricing," adds Pineau. "Our old model could no longer be supported by our first billing tool, because we had too many categories and parameters to deal with. These parameters have meaning only if they provide the tools our customers need to take action regarding their costs. Each of the changes in our supply is translated into services, whose very definition and pricing must fulfill the three major principles that drive us: transparency, equity and value. For example, for the mainframe, we proposed different prices according to the time of day – this would avoid having to manage periods with too much activity and enable us to optimize our resources." In this way, Tixis Technologies defined evolving pricing based on its customers' needs, which has helped them use computer resources carefully and act on demand.

Coordinating progress with customers
Tixis Technologies established service contracts to clarify the customer/supplier relationship, using the best market practices.

The company also opted for a better structured customer file, complete declaration of its catalog (billing marketing base, formalizing the supply and sales terms) and a database that compiles all customer activities each month; Tixis Technologies then applies the sales terms to generate billing. Among the more interesting aspects of the model is that it relies on transparency and improvement process making useable information available to customers.

Thanks to SAS IT Management Solutions, Tixis Technologies now has a clear view of its workload and helps its customers monitor their costs and prepare their budgets. According to Pineau, "Our customers work on expressing their needs, and we strive to bring them solutions, working in partnership with them to reduce unit costs. We remain a preferred supplier in the sense that we have the same steel industry culture, the same shareholder, the same interests; we seek to optimize costs within the group. Our strength is in giving our customers controls that help them work in synergy and make shared choices."

Reliable analysis of services delivered
Today, the model is successful thanks to support and acceptance of the solution by both Tixis Technologies and its customers alike. The company now has a database listing all services billed. "The SAS solution's advantage is that it lets us maintain a history and retrace events accurately. Customers have access to this common base and can get excerpts, make summaries, prepare reports, etc.," comments Pineau. In this way, Tixis Technologies can demonstrate billing changes by service and by customer. It has a reliable and easily accessible analysis base, which will be fully operational in 2004.

In the future, Tixis Technologies will continue to refine and adapt its model. It also envisions exploring the range of possibilities offered by the SAS solution, such as making extrapolations, simulations or even forecasts for budgets.

b. Dedicated Hosting

b. Dedicated Hosting

In contrast to shared hosting, dedicated hosting assigned a specific web server to be used only by one customer. Since a dedicated web server is allocated to only a single customer, the customer has the option to host single/multiple web sites, modify the software configuration, handle greater site traffic and scale the bandwidth as necessary. Therefore, dedicated hosting commands a higher premium and typically starts at $50 per month and can range up to $200 - $500 per month. As a result, dedicated hosting is regularly used by high traffic and extremely important website.

c. Co-location hosting

In dedicated hosting, the web server belongs to the web hosting providers and customers only rent the web server during the hosting period. While in co-location hosting, the customer owns the web server hardware and only housed their web server within the web hosting provider’s secure data center. In this way, the customer has full control over their web server and simultaneously benefit from the 24/7 server monitoring and maintenance provided by the secure data center. Depending on the monthly bandwidth and rack space required, typically co-location hosting range from $500 - $1000 per month.

d. Reseller hosting

In reseller hosting, a web hosting provider offers web server storage to third-party (i.e. reseller) at a discount price, who then resell the web server storage to their customers. Typically, resellers are web consultants including web designers, web developers, or system Integration Company who resell the web hosting as a add-on service to complement their other range of services. Commonly, resellers can receive up to 50 percent discount on the price of a hosting account from the web hosting provider. And resellers are allowed to decide its own pricing structure and even establish its own branding (in other words, reseller setup its web hosting company on the Internet and start selling web hosting plans under its brand).

In general, resellers can be distinguished from their hosting price and company information. In most cases, a genuine web hosting provider has solid company information such as ipower.com where they publish its financial background, offices and data centers. In contrast, resellers usually do not have solid company background (here is just an example out of thousands out there). Moreover, the hosting price by resellers is generally below $5 per month. So, why settle for resellers when you can find genuine web hosting providers offering superb quality web hosting at the hosting price ranging between $7 - $10.

Therefore, you should not strive to find the lowest price web hosting companies without first considering the quality of the service and support provided. Don’t expect to find any top-level support if you choose to pay only $1 or $2 per months for your web hosting plan.

Unix vs Windows Hosting - Whats Different!

When browsing through the offerings of various web hosting companies you are sure to notice that some offer UNIX hosting and others offer Windows. Some hosts even offer a choice of the two operating systems. What are the differences and which one is better?

First of all, when choosing a host, it doesn’t matter what kind of operating system you develop your web site on or what you use on your own computer. Web sites hosted on both UNIX and Windows servers are universally accessible because the data they serve is identical. The difference lies solely in the software used to serve that data.

In terms of reliability UNIX systems have a slight advantage. They are known to extremely stable and able to run for years without rebooting. Windows is also very reliable – slightly less so than UNIX but still able to handle the demands of modern web sites.

The majority of web hosts use various flavors of UNIX like Linux and FreeBSD. These operating systems are free and reduce the costs of a hosting operation. Windows costs thousands of dollars so some hosts charge extra for Windows accounts if they offer both types.

As well as being free, Linux and the other UNIX varieties are open-source software. Anyone can alter the source code and make improvements, updates, and additions. There is a large pool of dedicated enthusiasts who use their free time to work on this software. Windows, on the other hand, is Microsoft proprietary software so users are dependent on Microsoft to release updates. There is no way for an individual user to modify the code.

Using Control panel to Manage Hosting Files!

CPanel is an easy user-interface site that lets you control your host account environment. The main peculiarity of this operating system is that it so simple to use that your below average computer user can’t mess it up. It’s got great features embedded into its panel and some of the features are listed below.

Site Tools

There are such tools available for your use, which are Web Protect (.htaccess editor), Custom error pages, Redirects, Ability to edit MIME types, Ability to edit Apache handlers, Install/Uninstall FrontPage Extensions, Search engine tool submitting and File Manager.

Email

The email program provides you with the possibility to add, remove, and change passwords while managing email accounts. CPanel is also provided by Webmail for the accounts, Auto responders, Forwarders, Mailing Lists, Spam filtering and some more.

Backup

Backup allows you to create copies of account files and databases. The backup menu also allows you to download any automatic backups that were downloaded by your CPanel administrator.

Stats

Here are different tools to survey your site popularity and efficiency. Those are Webalizer web stats, Webalizer FTP stats, Analog stats, AWStats, View latest visitors, View bandwidth usage and View error log modules.

Rackspace - 100% Network Uptime Guarantee

WHAT ABOUT Rackspace
Visit www.rackspace.com

Fanatical Support isn't just what we do. It's really what makes us, well, us. It's our drive to do more than what our Contracts, Service Level Agreements and guarantees say we will. It's our need to make a difference every day to you and every customer.

It's our promise to give you peace of mind, and we actually deliver.

The IT Hosting Leader
Time-Tested and Proven from day one we've been about creating and delivering powerful IT hosting solutions, and nothing else. That's 10+ years of unprecedented experience at your beck and call.

Very Live, 24x7x365 Support
Say goodbye to call centers, clueless support, and sleepless nights. We have teams of experts waiting to help you at any time on any day. Even the day and time you just thought of.

Experts By Any Definition
No matter what your definition of expertise is, we're confident that our people, certifications, awards and technology partnerships will more than satisfy your skepticism.

Your Dedicated Team: It's All About You
You and your needs are the responsibility of your Rackspace team. They know your configuration, your business and your goals. And they take them as seriously as you do.

This is just the beginning. Fanatical Support can't be captured with bullet points or summed up with a simple graphic. For every customer, it's an experience that impacts their work and lives in very different and powerful ways. So we'll let them speak for themselves and for Fanatical Support

Website Hosting Solutions

Serving your site at lightning speeds and backed with our proven rock solid reliability, our web hosting packages provide both individual and business websites with a safe, secure home. Friendly 24x7x365 customer support is always available to help with any questions you have.

All of our hosting plans include the same features, so you just need to choose a hosting plan which matches your sites disk space and monthly traffic needs:

Should you require any assistance with choosing the right hosting plan, or require something customized to your specific needs, please contact us and allow us to earn your hosting business.
Hosting Package Features

With UnitedHosting your site will have access to all the features listed below. If you're looking for something and don't see it on the list, please get in touch as I am sure we can accommodate!


Site Control & Management
Parallels Pro Control Panel Full FTP & SSH Access
Park Additional Domain Names Free Web Based File Manager
Instant & Scheduled Backups Unlimited Sub Domains
PHPMyAdmin MySQL Tools Scheduled Cron Tasks
Directory Password Protection Secure SSL Server

Email Management & Features
POP3 and IMAP Mailbox Access Full SMTP Server Access
Web Based Email Software Advanced MailFoundry Spam Filter
Alias Addressing Email Forwarders
Out of Office / Vacation Replies Auto Responders
Procmail Mailing Lists

Development & Scripting Features
PHP5 Perl5
Your own CGI-BIN Server Side Includes (SSI)
Pear Libraries Microsoft Front Page Compatible
Apache Mod_Rewrite Enabled .htaccess
MIME Type Control Custom Error Pages
Powertools - Auto Installing Scripts Unlimited MySQL5 Databases

Other Noteable Features
Full eCommerce Compatibility AWStats Website Visitor Statistics
Raw Access & Error Logs Streaming Audio & Video
Flash & Macromedia Compatible Four Times Daily Off-site Backups
Download Instant 'One Click' Backups Support for All Popular Scripts

World-Class Service & Performance
Genuine 24x7x365 Customer Support Proven 99.99% Reliability
We do NOT Oversell our Services Established Company since 1998
Absolute Latest Server-Grade Hardware Premium Quality Bandwidth and Redundancy
Choice of UK and US Datacenters A Proven Platform to Power Your Site

If you're still reading then maybe you're not convinced UnitedHosting is perfect for your website? Please contact us and give us an opportunity to prove we're the right host for you.

Web Hosting Companies in United States

Top Hosting Companies in United States

Rank Hosting Company Market Share Total Domains
1 WILDWESTDOMAINS.COM 35.133 % 24,227,002
2 ENOM.COM 5.2252 % 3,603,215
3 NETWORKSOLUTIONS.COM 4.1189 % 2,840,320
4 ONEANDONE.COM 3.7584 % 2,591,695
5 YAHOO.COM 3.2463 % 2,238,569
6 DSREDIRECTION.COM 2.7611 % 1,903,999
7 REGISTER.COM 2.2479 % 1,550,131
8 BUYDOMAINS.COM 1.3552 % 934,544
9 DREAMHOST.COM 1.3358 % 921,121
10 BLUEHOST.COM 1.259 % 868,155
11 HOSTGATOR.COM 1.1791 % 813,075
12 PARKED.COM 1.0678 % 736,365
13 BCENTRAL.COM 0.9156 % 631,406
14 WEBSITEWELCOME.COM 0.8717 % 601,126
15 HOSTMONSTER.COM 0.8547 % 589,365
1 2 Next >> Last >>



Methodology and Limitations

Please refer to our 'Methodology and Limitations' section for details on our patent-pending process and the limitations/assumptions of the same.

Linux Internet Web Server and Domain Configuration Tutorial

Create a web server with Linux, Apache, FTP and bind DNS: This tutorial covers the Linux server configuration required to host a website. The Apache web server, FTP server and DNS configuration are covered. The Apache web server is required to serve the web pages, the FTP server is required for users to upload content and the DNS server is required to resolve the domain names so that a URL entered into a web browser will point to your web server and properly serve the correct pages. The configurations presented will include virtual hosting which will allow a single Linux server to support multiple web site domains.

Web Hosting Tutorial For Beginners

Web Hosting tutorial for beginners has a collection of information pages on general website hosting tutorial for beginners, new webmaster or anyone starting to learn about webmastering and web hosting, you can get a better understanding of what web hosting is all about, learning on how the process of getting a web page or a complete website from the computer where they have been worked out right up to the web server, as well as the process of selecting a good domain name, steps to register a domain name and pointing the domain name to the website.

You can start by getting to know an Overview of World Wide Web, and then follow on to understanding What is web hosting? to have a basic overall understanding.

After getting an overall understanding of web hosting, you can browse through the rest of the tutorials in our knowledgebase to pick up more information of setting up a blog, step by step guid on setting up popular open source programs in your web hosting account ,best practice on creating a website and more.

Web Hosting Tutorial Choose a Good Web Host

You have an idea what web hosting is now, and has decided which web server platform to build your website, but there are so many web hosting provider out there, how do I know which is a good, friendly and reliable provider that is suitable for me ? Well, there are some basic guidelines where experience web developers use to select a suitable good web host :-
Decide what you need

First, spend some time to think of what you need from a web host, this is important as there are many web host out there and each and everyone of them has their own different characteristics. You may have read in websites about some webmaster talking about a bad web host but there are other webmasters that does not feel the same. Why is that ? if something is bad then it should be bad, isn't it ? why are there different opinions on a web hosts ? Well, like I said earlier, different webmaster do have different requirements, but not all of them has really thought about it before signing up with a web host, and later found out that the web host is not up to their expectation, some got frustrated and started telling others about the bad experience. A better approach would be first write down all your requirements, for example :-

* A high / medium / low price hosting
* to what extend you need the support from a web host

Well, it is always difficult to deny anything that sell at the cheapest, I bet you have this sort of experience when you go shopping at a hypermarket, but have you really thought about the durability of the product when you pay for it at the cash counter ? Well, generally not many people would do that, people will only found out about the usability of the product after a while. I am not saying that cheap things are no good, you just have to have a realistic expectation when you make the decision. Remember, you get what you pay for. If you need more, then you should expect to spend a little extra. If you are tight of the pocket, then you should expect lowering a little of your requirements.
Ask around for opinions on a web host

This is a good start to short list a few that you can check further if they are suitable for your requirements, have your friends using any web hosting provider ? How do they feel about the web host ? How long have they been hosting with the web host ? Check and ask around will get yourself some useful info on certain web host, short list a few and check back with your own requirements, trim further your list and select the top three of your list that should be meeting most of your requirements.
Send your questions to the selected web host

Why do I have to do this ? Well, opinions from others may not express exactly your own concern, ask your own questions directly to the selected web host and check their responses, are these responses within your expectation ? Do take note that there can be 'canned replies' from some web hosts, this is unavoidable in some large web hosts where support helpdesk has to deal with thousands of similar requests every day, and there are operating manuals that the front helpdesk staff has to follow, therefore sometimes you may be getting generic replies to questions in similar nature, these 'canned replies' may or may not directly answer your questions and sometimes you might need to send several requests to get the attention of the support staff to actually look into your question in detail. This is why it is always a good approach to ask your own questions to the selected web host and experience yourself of the level of support you can expect from the web host, select the web host that best address your question should serve you well and leave you less worries when you are busy building your website.

Ok, now you have a good idea of getting yourself a good web host, why not consider checking our web hosting and see if we are able to serve you well. ;-)

P/S: Just a bit of self promo, we have been serving web hosting since year 2000 and we have been able to keep some quite 'difficult to deal with' type of webmaster happily hosting with us....still. ;-)

What is VPS Hosting ?

VPS stands for 'Virtual Private Server', this type of hosting is in between shared hosting and a dedicated server hosting, VPS also uses the 'sharing' technology of shared hosting, but able to extend to limiting common resources like CPU and memory to each VPS account. Other than slicing the server resources, it offers a private root environment.

A shared hosting account owner can only access certain area in the server and generally have no authority to change / update system software. VPS hosting offer a lot more privacy and flexibility, basically a VPS hosting account is given a clean partition in the server with 'root' access to the given partition, VPS account owner can perform any root user function in the allocated partition, including installing any system software needed, and this will not interfere the rest of the VPS account residing on the same server.

This type of hosting is good for website owners that requires certain degree of control over the system software installation that is not possible in a shared hosting environment. Generally, users require some degree of technical knowledge on server management as support from web hosting provider is either not available or require extra fee to attend to certain support requests, this may be extra cost to the website owner if help is needed to do some system maintenance like reset the account to original state, debug or install certain piece of system software, it is important to check through the support level provided to ensure you are not left in the dark when you need help. Hosting fee is higher than shared hosting but slightly less than a dedicated server.

Webhosting Tutorial

Your success of online business depends on many factors like Design, Content and Delivery. You can control the first and second factors, but the third factor "DELIVERY" depends on your webhost.
Your Webhosting provider can make or mar your e-business. A good web host takes responsibility for thier hardware, software operating system and communication sytem, so that thier customers (webmasters, resellers) can concentrate on thier business.

Many hosting companies specialize in particular products and services. There arespecialist PHP hosts, dotNet webhosts, Windows hosts, Linux/Unix Hosts, reseller hosts, Java hosts, budget webhosting providers and many others. Determine what you need and make sure the hosting company of your choice specializes in what you need. This is critical for the long-term success of your business.

Check out: Ready-Reckoner Webhosting Comparison

Webhosting is a long term relationship. To sustain this relationship, the webhost should be able to satisfy your needs and solve your problems as early as possible. A committed host will give full support to its customer base 24/7 round-the-clock.

Choosing a suitable web host for your requirements is sometimes becomes very easy and some times it becomes very tough. It would be lot more difficult, when your current web host does not match up to your requirements. This article will help you find the best web hosting deal.
What are your requirements?

Before you start hunting for a web host, you need to have a checklist of features you require. This critical information and forethought would help you develop and promote your website faster. Many hosting companies specialize in particular products and services. As previously said, there are PHP hosts, dotNet hosts, Windows hosts, NT hosts, Linux/Unix Hosts, reseller hosts, Java hosts, ecommerce hosts and many others. You have to choose the host who suits your need. A glance of webhosting comparison may give you a very good idea about your requirements.

1. What web server do you need? Apache or IIS ...
2. Specifically need Linux or Windows or SunOS or FreeBSD ?
3. Do you need a free domain? e.g.: www.mycompanyname.com
4. Do you want to host all TLDs (top level domains), ccTLDs (country codes) ? .co.uk , .my , .to , .us , .co.in , .cc , etc.
5. On what platform do you run your websites? ASP or PHP or Perl or JSP or ColdFusion or just plain HTML ...
6. How much space do you need? 5 MB or 10 MB or 100 MB or 300 MB or more ...
7. What SQL back-end do you need? MySQL or Postgres or mSQL or MSSQLor MS Access ...
8. Do you need to provide streaming audio/video content? MP3 or Real Audio or Video ...
9. Need subdomains? like http://order.yourcompany.com
10. Do you require Unlimited Email, Unlimited Autoresponders, mailinglist solutions?
11. Do you need technical support? Email or Phone or Online.

The Beauty of Multiple Domain Hosting

If you currently run a website, chances are you have considered shared hosting. This is the most common and affordable way to establish a web presence due to the mere structure of the arrangement. With shared hosting, web hosting firms can provide a much cheaper service because storage capacity, bandwidth and other resources are shared amongst numerous customers, thus lowering their overhead expense.

While this is an ideal arrangement for most, there are some drawbacks. Many providers will only allow you to host a single domain or website on a single account. This is not a problem if you only intend to create a single website. However, it becomes a different story later down the road when your expanding web presence calls for you to set up more websites. In order to accomplish this, you would normally have to purchase a separate account for each new domain for which you wish to create a website. Therefore, if you have a need for five different websites, just image how much you would be paying every month on hosting services.

Maintaining a multitude of sites can be an expensive venture, but multiple domain hosting is an arrangement that offers a viable and cost effective solution.

What is Multiple Domain Hosting?

In general, multiple domain hosting refers to a web hosting arrangement in which the provider permits you to run all of your domains on a single account. This gives you the opportunity to save a lot of money because instead of purchasing service from multiple hosts, you simply sign up with one company and manage your websites from a centralized area.

In terms of convenience, you can log into your account and administer the features and services for each individual domain via the same control panel. Multiple domain hosting not only provides you with an affordable solution, but one that offers the ultimate in convenience.

The Benefits of Multiple Domain Hosting

There are numerous benefits of multiple domain hosting. Perhaps the most significant advantage of all is that it provides you with the ability to increase visibility and expand your web presence in various ways. Depending on the number of domains you are permitted to host, you can set up web environments, such as a content rich news site, an online magazine, directory, e-commerce store, or one dedicated to promoting your PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign.

With popular and easy to use application installers such as Fantastico, which have become common in today’s web hosting plans, you can really make the most of multiple domain hosting with programs that allow you to incorporate blogs, community forums, photo galleries, support centers and robust content management systems. This type of hosting is one that allows you to let your creativity run wild and conquer the web from various angles.

Extensive Domain Management Options

Another perk of multiple domain hosting is that the actual domain names themselves are generally affordable and easy to acquire. For example, a company that offers this type of hosting usually allows you to purchase a domain name from an inexpensive registrar, such as GoDaddy or Yahoo, and then point them to their name servers. This is any easy process that can be done with the aid of your hosting company and the control panel interface provided by the domain name registrar.

Once the changes have been made and your domains become active, you can then log into your hosting account and manage them in accordance to your preference. Most web hosts also provide you with the features needed to set up email accounts, FTP accounts, databases and subdirectories for each individual domain.

The Cost for Multiple Domain Hosting

Multiple domain hosting has become quite common on the market – which means you should have no trouble finding yourself an affordable package. In fact, the price for this type of arrangement is generally in the same ballpark of traditional shared hosting plans.

With the luxury to run multiple websites, your potential for online success is uncapped. What you need to do is find yourself a reliable service provider that can assure your sites will continue to run with the utmost efficiency. With the right company behind you, investing in a multiple domain hosting solution could turn out to be one of the best decisions you make in regards to your web presence.

How to Make Money with Web Hosting

We all know that web hosting is the basis of all web sites. It helps us attract visitors, it displays what we are desperately trying to get across, and it allows us to survive in the cut throat internet world. While these are all important qualities that come with web hosting, there are many other opportunities. Dying to make extra cash? Surprisingly, web hosting can actually help with your bills. In a few simple steps, you will be on your way to a richer lifestyle.

Fortunately, there is a new trend in the web industry. Reseller Hosting, which consists of purchasing a web hosting package and reselling it for a larger price, has been making webmasters just a few cents richer. Although this sounds like a daunting task, it actually only requires a large amount of space. Once the webmaster acquires such a large server and bandwidth, he/she is able to divide it up among other people. As long as they are willing to pay a monthly fee, you will never get screwed over.

Regardless of how much money you want to make, purchasing this re-seller hosting does not cost much. For an average of $30/month, you can purchase enough space to make a profit. While all of these websites will be on a shared server, the majority of webmasters do not mind this downside. After all, not everyone can shell out thousands a month just to acquire their own dedicated server. Once you have found a few loyal customers who will not create any illegal material, you will be generating a profit every single month out of the year. Fortunately, until you stop your hosting, you will never be out of a job.

In order to sell this type of hosting, you absolutely need to network. Regrettably, there are many webmasters trying to follow the trend. For this reason alone, you should look in unpopulated areas. Try and find a website or forum that has not yet been tackled by other masses of website owners. For instance, find websites similar to your own. If you do not have one, look on webmaster-related forums such as Digital Point or Webmaster-Talk. These areas are populated with thousands of interested clients, who will be more than happy to jump on the bandwagon, if you do have a great deal.

Still desperately trying to find other ways to market? Many website owners advertise through blogs and buy text link ads. As a result, people will be more apt to find what you are offering. If this doesn't work, you could even start marketing in a local newspaper or a newsletter that goes out to professional companies who are always looking for alternatives. Nevertheless, there are plenty of consumers out there. You just need to be creative and put in the effort, in order to get anywhere.

For years web hosting has been flooding the market. However, it has just recently become a form of revenue for webmasters who just don't own their own web hosting company. It is a wonderful alternative to an additional part time job, especially if this is what you love to do. Networking with others, controlling a server, while working on your website certainly sounds like the perfect occupation.

(http://webhostinggeeks.com). Web Hosting Geeks provides independent customer and webmaster reviews of top 10 web hosting providers. awards, web host rating, Copyright notice: This original article is the property of Web Hosting GeeksTop web hosting reviews, best web hostingweb hosting articles and more.

Requirement: You must also post the above author information if you would like to republish this article!

Share this article:

Why Reliable Web Hosting?

n today's competitive world reliable web hosting is very critical especially for the success of online businesses. Your message or information won't be conveyed on time unless you send it over high-speed network connections backed up by reliable web servers. You need to seek a web hosting company that can provide you with these components and much more.

People usually wonder “why reliable web hosting?” Critical components as listed below are some of the reasons why:

* Server monitoring and 24x7 security to safeguard your site
* Spam filtering
* Firewall protection to protect the site from unwanted trespass
* Daily site backups
* 99.9% uptime guarantee

Reliable web servers with multiple fast connections are critical in ensuring that your web site runs smoothly. Only behind the hosting company's firewall and additional security on their web servers can you seek to keep your website safe from unwelcome intruders. Spam and virus filtering is another essential feature which should be taken into account with all email facilities. This is again possible with only reliable web hosting.

Apart from the above, there are many other useful reasons. Certain components responsible for reliable web hosting not only decrease your stress but also increase productivity. Reliable web hosting is known to provide dependable uptime so that you can make changes on your website and upload it for customers to view in minimal time.

Reliable web hosting is vital for serious business clients who need their web sites to be fully-functional and their domains accessible at all times. These businesses could be any online industry, be it bank, financial institutes, railway and flight online booking sites or even ecommerce sites. Only with help of reliable web hosting can you maintain the highest level of security for discreet user transaction on any website. All ecommerce websites are integrated with payment gateways and if your web hosting is not secure or reliable then anyone can hack your site and you can lose essential online cash flows.

If your site is integrated with a dependable Content Management System (CMS) through which you seek to update your site on daily basis then reliable web hosting becomes all the same critical. To stay ahead in today's online competition you need a secure and flexible website and this is only possible with help of reliable web hosting.

Web Hosting Instructions

Web domains. Hosting. Content. These are the three top priorities for any webmaster, regardless of how experienced they are. Unfortunately, these three essentials often leave people in the dark, as there are dozens of companies offering the “same” packages for different prices. With an overflow of routes you could take, it can get mind boggling to figure out the appropriate steps. For this reason, instructions are essential if you are looking for a smooth path.

The first thing you should do is make a list of what your current goals are. If you are making a professional site, you'll need a secure and reliable host. For instance, if you know that your website will reach thousands of people within a few months, perhaps you should find a web hosting package that includes extra bandwidth. You need additional space, especially if visitors are constantly going to be accessing your website. On the other hand, if you are just experimenting, you should stick to the free hosting packages. Geocities or Angel Fire certainly provides a basic package, which will leave you satisfied. After all, you do not need bells and whistles if you aren't serious about the website in the long run. If you do end up changing your mind, you can always switch services and transfer your website.

Once you have made your decision, you need to find a reputable service. While searching for hosting companies on Google may seem appropriate, it often stems bad results. It is important to remember that just because it is listed on a search engine, doesn't mean it is 100% safe and legit. Therefore, if you do find a potential company, you should get a second opinion. It is usually smart to join a webmaster related forum like SitePoint to discuss such matters. This way you can hear about other people's experiences and what companies to avoid. Additional references from friends or family would also be ideal.

After picking a host, you will need to provide your credit card information. For many users, 3ix.org is a favorite, as it rarely charges you much. Surprisingly, there are discount coupon codes you can acquire through the internet, to also help you with your initial fee. Due to the fact that you have to include your private information, it is absolutely crucial to make sure you find a legit business. The last thing you want is to lose any money. Therefore, you should google their name and check out the reviews from fellow users. This will most definitely make all of the difference, especially if you find out that they are a fraud.

For website beginners, web hosting doesn't have to be difficult or even too time consuming. As long as you find reputable sources, second opinions, and a great easy to use package, you are well on your way to website success. With these instructions in mind, there should be no frustrations or year long debates on what company to use. It is quite simple, once you get in the webmaster's frame of mind.

Which Web Hosting is Best For You?

With thousands of beginners trying their hand at websites, it is certain that the market is becoming quite crowded. From music blogs to gossip communities and technological havens – these online avenues can be a wonderful hobby for people who just want an audience. After all, who wouldn't want to be heard among thousands of visitors every day? For this reason alone, websites are one of the most popular forms of entertainment. While making a website is essential, the majority of beginners do not realize that web hosting is even more important.

In simpler terms, web hosting provides you with the space to create your masterpiece. When you design your layout, post thousands of pictures, and even set up a chat room, you absolutely need a place to do so. For instance, if you were to do something like this outside of the virtual world, and build a theatre, wouldn't you need your own space? Luckily, web hosting is extremely affordable and can be easy for even the beginners to use.

After you purchase a domain name, the next step is to find a company that will host your website. There are many different paths you can take to do this, but it depends on your main goals. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself why you want to create a website. Is it for personal use – simply to post your pictures from college? Or perhaps your dream is to create the most popular music website on the internet. Regardless of your priorities, companies have built specific web hosting packages based around your needs.

If you are looking to just post pictures or create something for fun, a free web hosting company is the way to go. There are many of these around the web, including Geocities and AngelFire. These two companies are dedicated to helping beginners. As a result, new webmasters do not need to know extensive HTML or CSS. In this day and age, it is quite easy to build a masterpiece. While these hosts give you a large amount of space and freedom, there are downsides. The majority of companies will stick pop up advertisements on your space, in order for them to market their company. Unfortunately, this is an annoyance for most, and can cause visitors to leave immediately. Luckily, Geocities lets you close the box when you enter the website. Nevertheless, if you are looking for an easy website and do not care about visitors, you simply should try it out.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something a bit more professional, you should be emptying your wallet. Providentially, 3ix.org and GoDaddy are two companies that offer extremely cheap website hosting. This means that you can easily pay $12/year just for an abundance of space. Still looking for more features? These companies will let you add on everything from FrontPage Maker to extra bandwidth. If you are serious about your venture, these are places to check out.

Web hosting may sound like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be difficult. With so many beginners flooding the internet, companies have put it upon themselves to make these programs much easier to use. As long as you can type in your name, have overflowing creativity and an e-mail address, the opportunities are endless.

Dedicated Servers for Ecommerce

If you are currently engaged in any facet of ecommerce, even service sectors, a website makes up a great deal of your business. Therefore, it is a safe assumption that you pay for hosting your website in some fashion. If you do not already have a dedicated server, perhaps you should revisit the decision for the best hosting options for your business.

What is a Dedicated Server?

Most web hosting companies set up accounts or on a shared server. You essentially share the total hard drive and bandwidth allowance with many others. This may not be the best hosting option and can present many problems such as security and traffic bottlenecks. On a dedicated server, the server is completely yours, and there are not other websites utilizing the same machine. The server is dedicated completely to you and your business.

Advantages of a Dedicated Server

Several advantages can make a dedicated server the best hosting choice for you. These include:

Server Security –Dedicated servers increase the security of your website tremendously. There are no other webmasters using the same workspace, and simple mistakes or user error that might occur due to shared machines simply no longer existent.

Storage Space – As the entire server is dedicated to a single customer, there is tremendously more storage space available for website pages, images, and features.

Data Transfer – As with storage space, there is a great deal more bandwidth available for data transfer. Traffic to your site no longer competes with traffic for other websites reducing bottlenecks and slow server response time.

Control Panel – Having your own server offers additional opportunities for control. Sharing a server indicates that you have only limited control of server features and functions, but with a dedicated server, webmasters have greater control and access to the day-to-day functions of the host.

Software Options – Dedicated servers also allow more software and script options. The server has greater storage capacity for this information, and there is no need to align coding or features with other users of the same machine.

Disadvantages of a Dedicated Server

The sole disadvantage of a dedicated server is the cost. It is only logical that obtaining an entire server versus a piece of a shared server would be more expensive, but the rate often makes webmasters baulk. It is important to consider the fee as related to the total cost of shared server space when determining if a dedicated server is the best hosting option for you business, despite cost. A single credit card safety incident or an exorbitant bill for bandwidth overage should level the playing field almost immediately.

Am I ready for a Dedicated Server?

Websites grow at different rates, but as the success of a business grows, so does the need for additional hosting capacity. If you are approaching the limits of your current hosting company or have concerns about safety, such as storing credit card information on the same server as others or simply if your current company is the best hosting company for your needs, it is definitely time for a dedicated server.

Web Hosting Guide

Looking for and buying a reliable web hosting solution is an imperative decision. Whether you are doing online business, providing important information or sharing views online on a common interest, you need a reliable web hosting service that will allow online visitors to browse through your site effortlessly. It is only powerful web hosting that allows your website to be downloaded, browsed and updated in minimal time.

Trying to identify a web host can be a very daunting task especially when there are so many available nowadays and all of them promise one thing or another. Hence, it is crucial that before you jump in, you do your own homework or research for selecting the most appropriate web hosting company for your website.

With the changing trend of technology, web hosts are also changing. Most of them provide various services in addition to their basic ones. Say if you are running an e-commerce website, then of course you need high end security and a medium through which you can manage your web content efficiently. There are many tools that facilitate this, however if your web hosting service is not reliable then you can miss out on serious revenues and prospective clients.

Once you have determined and identified what web hosting services you require for your online business, it is then time to enlist certain web hosting features and options you must consider. You can find below some of the most important aspects of web hosting:

Disk space and bandwidth

You should know how much space your website would need and approximate data it will generate. When we talk about disk space, well, it's actually the amount of storage assigned to you by the web hosting provider. The bandwidth is the amount of traffic that is allowed to access and leave your website. In case your website has a lot of graphics then you would require higher storage area and greater bandwidth.

Programming tools and the OS

You need to be sure that your website is uploaded through secure servers using the latest Operating System. Most web hosts run on a UNIX based operating system, usually Linux or BSD. For the running of various web applications you would require ASP, .NET, MS SQL, SBS and for these you need a Window based host.

Pricing Aspect

You need to compare pricing before you finalize a web hosting service. Some may provide you better services but at low pricing. It's not always true that the best hosting services are always the most expensive. Do your research and then finalize.

Support, Security, Guaranteed uptime and Backups

Security and backups are two very important aspects that you need to consider. You should always choose a web hosting service with reliable telephone support. Some also offer 24/7 support through local or toll-free numbers. In case you are running an ecommerce website then security is one aspect that you just cannot discard. Your web hosting service provider should be such that they can monitor things round the clock and ensure no unwanted intruder can hack your site. After all it's your website and it is really worth looking into this aspect of web hosting.

What are the options for web hosting?

If you are just starting out and want no string attached, there are plenty of alternatives. Free hosting allows you to not only create a website, but it helps beginners, no matter how much experience they have. Although there are popup downsides and other annoyances, free web hosting will give you everything that you need. If you are not sure if you even want to extensively design one, Geocities or AngelFire is great to experiment with.

Shared Web Hosting

Are you looking for something a bit more customized? For many webmasters, shared unix hosting or shared windows hosting are the most favorite platforms. This means that an abundance of websites are actually on one server. While this only costs a few dollars a month, there are still issues that come along with it. For instance, if a fellow webmaster were to have done something illegal, chances are your website would be shut down as well. This is because you share an IP, which of course can be quite dangerous. For this reason, you must be careful when choosing people to share a host with.

Dedicated Server Hosting

While these are great alternatives, many professional companies enjoy dedicated server hosting. Fortunately, the website is the only one on the server, which results in a lot less complications. With freedom comes a plethora of features, which include extra bandwidth, visitor trackers, and your own I.P. As a result, you do not have to worry about illegal situations occurring within your server. Everything is based around your needs.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller hosting is another admired amenity. If you are a webmaster and are looking to make some extra cash, reseller web hosting is a great opportunity. In simple terms, you purchase a web hosting package from a company and divide the space into several sections. These sections can easily be purchased by fellow webmasters, who are in need of space. With this business in place, you will effortless make a few dollars.

Regardless of what you are looking to make, web hosting is necessary. From affordable shared unix hosting or shared windows hosting to dedicated servers with only one website, there are endless opportunities. Although most beginner webmasters assume that there is only one type of web hosting service, this article clearly shows how wrong the myth can be.

The Essentials of Web Hosting

The internet has become a common way of life for many of us, and every day, more users are starting to realize the benefits. This global network has opened the doors for users around the world to communicate, seek entertainment, shop and conduct business online. Many are leveraging the internet as their medium for connecting with the world – and the same opportunities exist for you. If your plans require a website, then you will need web hosting to accomplish those goal.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a common service designed to serve websites to internet users. Operated by companies known as web hosting providers, or simply web hosts, these services are managed out of data center facilities and made available to personal and business customers in various regions throughout the world. Web hosting is composed of numerous elements, and four of the most essential of all are the server hardware, web server, operating system and the hosting provider itself.

Server Hardware

Though technically a computer, a server is very different from your typical PC. The standard home-based computer has a single processor and limited capacity, while a web hosting server usually contains at least two processors, a robust hard drive and larger capacities of other vital hardware components. This allows the machine to execute much faster and simultaneously process more applications. When set up in most environments, this high-powered computer can run one or dozens upon dozens of websites with relative ease. In theory, a server keeps your website available 24/7 with redundant dedicated connections to the internet.

Web Server

Often confused with its hardware counterpart, a web server is a software application that plays a critical role in the web hosting process. As the name indicates, it helps the server hardware serve your web pages when they are requested by a visitor’s web browser.

Web servers run a method known as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), a standard communications procedure that utilizes the client-server model to facilitate communication between remote computers. For example, when a visitor opens your website in their browser, which is a client program, a request is sent to the server hosting your site. The server application then processes that request and responds accordingly, displaying your web page to the visitor. There are many types of web servers, but the most prominent on the web hosting market are Apache and Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services).

Server Operating System

The operating system is the most important piece of software for a server or any computer. Often referred to as a platform in the web hosting environment, this software is responsible starting and shutting down the server, communicating with computer hardware and allowing the installation of various other software packages. If you are like most users, the operating system you are familiar with is Windows, the popular software developed and distributed by Microsoft. In the hosting arena however, several platforms exist, with Unix and the open-source Linux operating system being among the most widely used. Although the web server application is extremely important, the operating system is the heart of the server hardware. Because the platform acts as the core of the computer, it must be installed and configured before implementing any other applications.

The Hosting Provider

As a customer, the most essential element of web hosting is the company providing the service. The web host must be able to ensure quality and reliability in order to make sure that your website will be available to internet users. This is made possible by running their network operations out of data centers, complete with state of the art electrical and backup power systems, environmental controls and advanced security measures. They must also deliver a superb level of customer service and technical support to make sure you have a way to present your questions or concerns 24/7/365. Collectively, these features better assure that your website is secure and running smoothly with minimal downtime.

There are many aspects that go into a web hosting operation, and these are just a few of the key ingredients. You don’t need to be a technical wizard just to run a website, but knowing what makes this business ticks can result in a less frustrating experience.

Google Web Hosting

This Google web hosting review offers information on not only Google web hosting but also Googles other services such as; Blogger, Page Creator, and Google Sites. Keep reading to learn how to get started with Google web hosting services.

Google is one of the biggest names in the Internet business, and they offer a number of web hosting options.

Blogger

Blogger is a free service provided by Google for users to create their own weblogs, or blogs. When you set up a blog on Blogger you get a free webpage ending with .blogspot.com or you can use a domain name that you already own. Blogger features tools to add text, photos, and videos, and to label the items that you add and keep an archive of old posts. You can customize the look of your blog using Blogger’s templates or HTML. Blogger also makes it easy to develop a community of followers and get feedback from your readers. You can update your blog by email or through your mobile phone. You can use Blogger for a personal blog or a group one, and it is available in 41 languages.

Page Creator

Page Creator is a Google program created to allow people to use templates to design their own web pages without any HTML experience. Page Creator users can upload a fixed number of files to their web page for free. Google is no longer allowing users to open new Page Creator accounts, though existing accounts will continue to operate. Google requires new users to use Google Sites instead, and encourages Page Creator users to move their web pages to Google Sites or to another web host.

Sites

Google Sites is Google's new web hosting product. Google Sites is primarily intended as a tool for creating a group web page for offices, classrooms, families, or school projects, though individuals can use it as well. Users can choose to keep their Sites pages private, share them with a select group of individuals, or publish them to the World Wide Web. Many types of information can be added to Google Sites, including calendars, text, and videos. Those with permission to do so can edit the information once it is posted. It is designed to be easy to customize and edit without a knowledge of HTML. Like Google's other web hosting products, Google Sites is free.

How do I get started with Google web hosting?

To use any of Google's web hosting products you will need an account with Google. Go to www.google.com and click on “sign in” in the upper right corner to begin. To set up the account, you will need access to a mobile phone, because Google sends a verification code as a text message to your mobile phone for you to enter on your computer in the set up process. Once you have set up your account, follow the instructions to begin setting up your blog or web site.

Users should read the terms and conditions carefully before setting up their account, as this section explains how Google's privacy policy and copyright rules work. Users should be aware that, while the person who creates a document or other file and places it on a Google web hosting product owns the copyright to the work he or she created, Google reserves the right to use any material posted online through their web hosting service.

Sources:

Blogger [online]

Google Page Creator [online]

Google Sites [online]

Free Image Hosting

Want to share your images, photos, files, or videos with friends and family? You should know the pros and cons of free image hosting before you trust a free host with your images. You should also compare free image hosting vs. cheap image hosting before deciding.

What is Free Image Hosting?
You can use free image hosting service to post only images without having to build an entire website to be able to show an image online. Free image hosting is useful for individuals who want to share images online. Many people who use free image hosting do so to post images in forums, instant messengers, blogs, email, auction websites, or for the purpose of sharing images with friends, family and associates.

Free Image Hosting Limits
Because images use up more web space and bandwidth than text files alone, free image hosting services usually place restrictions on the file sizes and image file types they will accept. A user can expect to post images no larger than 500kb - 1mb with a free image hosting service. Free image hosting services this article has all rights reserved and is copyright by 100 Best usually only allow one image file uploaded at a time. For multiple image upload users will usually need to pay for registration.

Pay for More
If you need more services than are offered from free image hosting providers you can pay for features like larger image file uploads, image file storage, and image file management. Most free image hosting providers will have upgrade services available.

Where can you find free image hosting?
Depending on what you would like to do with your hosted images we have two favorite free image hosting services to recommend:

Free Image Hosting for Hotlinking
Imageshack.us and FlyPicture are excellent no strings attached free image hosting providers if you would like to post hyperlinks to your images from forums, auction sites (like Ebay), or other online locations. They don't require registration or payment of any kind for free image hosting.

Free Image Hosting for Sharing
If you would like a free place to host your images so you can share them easily with family and friends (and not clog up their email inboxes with huge files!) you can get really awesome free image hosting from Snapfish.com. They allow you to upload unlimited images. You can store them in albums, share them with family, order prints and photo gifts and more with your images. You can even upload straight from your camera phone.

Note: Free image hosting is often abused, but violating copyrights by posting other's images, posting pornographic or other such images, and other such abuse is taken seriously. Read terms of service carefully so you do not violate free image hosting conditions.

HP Labs Technical Reports ,Web Hosting Analysis Tool for Service Providers

Web Hosting Analysis Tool for Service Providers

Cherkasova, Ludmila; DeSouza, Mohan; James, Jobin

HPL-1999-150

Keyword(s): shared Web hosting; virtual servers; physical server; server access logs; traffic characteristics; system's resource requirements.

Abstract: Demand for Web hosting and e-commerce services continues to grow. The shared Web hosting service uses the possibility to create a set of virtual servers on the same physical server. Each virtual server is set- up to write its own access log. Such implementation and set-up splits the "whole picture" of web server usage into multiple independent pieces, making it difficult for the service provider to understand and analyze the "aggregate" traffic characteristics. Web Hosting Analysis Tool (WHAT) aims to provide the information which is of interest to system administrators and service providers; the information which provides insight into the system's resource requirements and traffic access patterns.

HP Labs Palo Alto, USA

HP Labs' worldwide headquarters in Palo Alto is perched on a hillside just a few miles from the famous HP garage that is known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

The spirit of invention that Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard brought to their garage workshop prevails at the Palo Alto lab, where researchers are pursuing advances in such fields as utility computing, business-process innovation, digital imaging, customized printing, streaming media and experimental economics.

At the same time, our scientists are exploring more radical technologies, including nanotechnology and computational bioscience.

The lab, HP's largest, is less than a mile from Stanford University. Palo Alto and the surrounding cities are home to a lively and diverse technical community.

Besides intellectual foment, the region offers sunshine and mild weather, nearby beaches, fine restaurants, bustling bookstores, awe-inspiring natural beauty and plenty of opportunities for recreation. Palo Alto is less than an hour's drive from San Francisco, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

Visiting HP Lab Palo Alto? We are located at 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304. Below are some links with helpful information about the region:

» Directions to HP Labs
» HP Labs map
» San Francisco Bay Area map
» Stanford University community housing services - Local hotels and motels
» Local transit information

Why Indiatimes Hosting?

Reliability, uptime and speed are critical elements when determining the success of your web presence. Here are 10 reasons why you should select Indiatimes Hosting as your hosting service provider.

* One of the best hosting infrastructure in India – you will be hosted on the same infrastructure as Indiatimes.
* Reliability of Indiatimes – you are assured of a trustworthy service provider.
* Latest and high-end computer hardware to host your website – we don’t cut corners. Dual Xeon processor servers. Excellent speed.
* Security – your website is safe and secure; only you or your authorised person has access to your hosting space.
* Intuitive and proven control panel – Plesk.
* Best value for money – packages have been designed with the customer in mind.
* All inclusive packages – includes POP3 email accounts besides hosting.
* No setup fees. No Hidden Costs.
* Professional and customer focussed support.
* Most comprehensive and scalable hosting service.

CHEAP WEB HOSTING AND DEDICATED SERVERS

Welcome To Host.co.in - The Premium Web Hosting Services and Solutions Provider in India !

Host.co.in is all about rendering complete web hosting solutions at affordable prices coupled with quality technical support & services to customers. We believe in uplifting your web hosting requirements to more than just dealing with websites, emails & data. We transform it into an experience - a pleasant one at that!

Our bouquet of web hosting solutions starts right from reseller hosting & extends upto being able to deliver a very superior degree of managed dedicated servers ! Be it different flavours of Unix or the ever-green Windows stable, we have the ability to cater to all your web hosting needs. The complete roster of our services includes VPS Hosting, Shared Web Hosting, Dedicated Server, Semi-Dedicated Web Servers, Reseller Web Hosting, cPanel PHP Hosting, ASP Hosting and domain name registrations - all powered by the ever popular WHM / cPANEL & Plesk Panels as your control panel softwares. Not to leave alone domains, we also register them for you. We cover almost all the TLD's for you.

Top Quality Web Hosting

Host.co.in offers 100% uptime for it's network services. Our customers include top corporates, government undertakings and agencies, educational institutions as well as several hundred individual customers who together constitute a very healthy clientele for us. We specialise in giving personalised services to corporate customers who have customised requirements. We Incorporate a team of highly proficient system administrators team to provide constant and uninterrupted (24x7x365) customer support.If you are dissatisfied with our service for any reason, you will receive a full refund, if you cancel your account within 30 days of the activation of your account.

Introduction to the World of Web hosting

The web hosting industry has spawned a broad range of niche markets over the years. Ranging from shared hosting to dedicated hosting, as well as all the hybrids in between, each type of web hosting presents its own set of pros and cons.

Shared Hosting - Cost Effective, Easy to Use and Feature Rich

Whether you call it conventional, regular or normal hosting, shared hosting is the most common web hosting service on the market. In fact, a large majority of the websites you encounter online are running on this type of platform.

As the name implies, shared hosting is a service arrangement where you share bandwidth, disk space capacity and various network resources with other paying customers. The structure of this model equates into a low-cost solution that is typically easy to maintain for even the most inexperienced of users. Although the price is usually reasonable, these packages do not slack on power, as they come loaded with an arsenal of useful features. The economic value, simplicity and hassle-free aspect makes shared hosting a viable option for most individuals and small companies.

Dedicated Hosting - The Utmost in Control, Flexibility, and Responsibility

Dedicated web hosting is the exact opposite of the shared variety. Instead of sharing the server with other customers, the hardware is dedicated exclusively to your website needs. Since you are not forced to share resources, dedicated hosting can provide you with a superior level of control, flexibility and performance. This is an arrangement wherein you can choose your own operating system, install your own software applications, and incorporate the security mechanisms you feel will provide the server with the best protection. It also a scenario that requires you to have a certain skill set in order to administer and maintain the server. Unlike shared web hosting, dedicated hosting is not recommended for the inexperienced user.

VPS Hosting - Immense Power and Great Performance

A virtual private server, or VPS, represents a technology that is rapidly emerging in the web hosting industry. A VPS is created by software that partitions a single physical server to establish multiple virtual servers within it. Known as virtualization, this process results in a number of isolated environments with the ability to perform many of the same functions as an individual machine.

A virtual private server tends to provide more guaranteed resources, better performance and security than your typical shared platform at a price that is notably less expensive than a dedicated server. With these factors in mind, many view a VPS as the perfect compromise between shared and dedicated web hosting.

Managed Hosting - Hassle-Free But Costly

In its most common application, managed hosting refers to the full servicing of a dedicated server. This service aims to alleviate the complexities and technical challenges of managing a web server. Though server management is the main feature, other options range from web application and database administration to monitoring and extensive support. Managed hosting services are geared towards customers who lack the technical abilities needed to handle a dedicated server, as well as those who do not have the time to fully immerse themselves in all the management aspects. Although cost efficient under the right circumstance, the biggest downside of managed hosting is its price tag, as it is considerably more expensive that other forms of web hosting.

Reseller Hosting - Substantial Profit Potential

Reseller hosting has emerged in recent times, providing entrepreneurs and small businesses with an opportunity to profit from the flourishing web hosting industry. As a reseller, you purchase a service plan from a hosting provider equipped with a certain amount of disk storage, bandwidth and features. This gives you the ammunition you need to sell web hosting plans to customers looking to build their presence online.

What makes this type of arrangement so attractive is that you pay a flat fee and have the potential generate substantial income from your investment. When selecting a respectable web hosting provider, a reseller account can run seamlessly and transparently enough to give you the presence of a large, established company.

Conclusion

Web hosting services are the key for any individual or business with aspirations of succeeding online. As you can see, there are many offerings to select from, and making a decision can be overwhelming. The good thing is that with so many companies on the market, you are almost certain to land a solution that adequately suits your needs.

Best Forum Web Hosting (2009)

48 months: $3.45 per month + FREE setup + FREE Domain
36 months: $3.95 per month + FREE setup + FREE Domain
24 months: $4.95 per month + FREE setup + FREE Domain
12 months:$5.95 per month + FREE setup + FREE Domain
6 months: $6.95 per month + FREE setup + $9.95 Domain
1 month: $7.95 per month + $20.00 setup + $9.95 Domain

Best Forum Hosting - Just Host

Just Host has been recognized as Best Forum Host thanks to the advanced software and top-notch support that they provide for the forumers. The forum software available with all Just Host accounts includes phpBB2 and SMF which are both really well known applications that offer the user tons of features.

Just Host, Ltd meets all BBBOnLine Reliability participation and Better Business Bureau membership standards and is authorized to display the BBBOnLine Reliability seal.

Visit http://justhost.com for more information.